US6226444B1 - Method and apparatus for recording program data without commercials - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for managing recording of broadcast data includes recording the broadcast data on a recordable medium. Whether a commercial or a program is being broadcasted in the broadcast data is determined. Recording is stopped when a commercial is being broadcasted in the broadcast data. Recording is resumed at a location on the recordable medium where a previously recorded video signal in the broadcast data dropped to a black level after a next video signal in the broadcast data drops to the black level.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of entertainment systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording broadcast data without commercials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Video recording and playback devices are widespread in use and are operable in a record mode to record broadcast data on a recordable medium. In a playback mode, the video recording and playback device is operable to couple the recorded broadcast data to a display device where it may be viewed at the convenience of the viewer. The use of video recording and playback devices has enabled viewers of broadcast data to control their viewing habits.

In the past, it was necessary for a viewer to manually stop and restart the record mode to prevent the recording of undesired portions of broadcast data such as advertising commercials which are typically interspread throughout desired program data. In order to provide an additional degree of convenience, the video equipment industry has attempted to provide devices that control the video recording and playback device in its record mode to automatically inhibit the recording of unwanted advertising commercials.

One technique used in the past to detect commercials was the monitoring of the amplitude of the video and audio signal of the broadcast data for a drop of the video signal to a black level and a drop of the audio signal to a zero sound level. One disadvantage, however, on relying on a drop of the video and audio signals to indicate the broadcast of a commercial is that video and audio signals may also drop during the broadcast of program data, thus falsely indicating the broadcast of a commercial. This produces the undesirable result of taking the video recording and playback device out of the record mode during the broadcast of program data.

SUMMARY

A method for managing recording of broadcast data according to an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. Broadcast data is recorded on a recordable medium. Whether a commercial or a program is being broadcasted in the broadcast data is determined. Recording is stopped when a commercial is being broadcasted in the broadcast data. Recording is resumed at a location on the recordable medium where a previously recorded video signal in the broadcast data dropped to a black level after a next video signal in the broadcast data drops to the black level.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the system components of one embodiment of an entertainment system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system controller according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of modules implementing an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the program data analyzer according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a first graphical user interface according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a second graphical user interface according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a first method for managing recording broadcast data according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a second method for managing recording of broadcast data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating system components of anentertainment system100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The entertainment system includes a common input/output (I/O)bus110 that connects the system components in theentertainment system100 together. It should be appreciated that the common I/O bus110 is illustrated to simplify the routing of signals between the computer system components. The common I/O bus110 may represent a plurality of known mechanisms and techniques for routing I/O signals between the computer system components. For example, the common I/O bus110 may include an appropriate number of independent audio “patch” cables that rout audio signals, coaxial cables that route video signals, two-wire serial lines or infrared or radio frequency transceivers that route control signals, or other routing mechanisms that route other signals.

In the illustrated embodiment, theentertainment system100 includes a television/monitor121, video recorder/playback device122, digital video disk (DVD) recorder/playback device123, audio/video tuner andamplifier124, audio playback/recorder device125, andcompact disk player126 coupled to the common I/O bus. The video recorder/playback device122, DVD recorder/playback device123, audio playback/recorder device125, andcompact disk player126 may be single disk or single cassette devices, or alternatively may be multiple disk or multiple cassette devices.

In addition, theentertainment system100 includes aspeaker system131, microphone132,video camera133, and a wireless I/O control device134. In one embodiment, wireless I/O control device134 is an entertainment system remote control unit which communicates with the components of theentertainment system100 through IR signals. In another embodiment, wireless I/O control device134 may be a wireless keyboard and cursor positioning device that communicates with the components ofentertainment system100 through IR signals or RF signals. In yet another embodiment, wireless I/O control device134 may be an IR remote control device similar in appearance to a typical entertainment system remote control with the added feature of a track-ball, which allows a user to position a cursor on a display of theentertainment system100.

Theentertainment system100 also includes asystem controller140. According to one embodiment of the present invention, thesystem controller140 operates to receive broadcast data available from a plurality of broadcast data sources and analyze the broadcast data to determine which portion of the broadcast data contains commercials and which portions of the programming data do not contain commercials. According to another embodiment of the present invention,system controller140 is configured to control a wide variety of features associated with each of the system components. As shown in FIG. 1,system controller140 is coupled, either directly or indirectly, to each of the system components, as necessary, through I/O bus110. In one embodiment, in addition to or in place of I/O bus110,system controller140 is configured with a wireless communication transmitter (or transceiver), which is capable of communicating with the system components via IR signals orRF signals110′. Regardless of the control medium, thesystem controller140 is configured to control one or more of the entertainment system components of theentertainment system100, although it is understood that each of the components may be individually controlled with wireless I/O control device134.

As illustrated in FIG. 1,entertainment system100 may be configured to receive broadcast data from a wide variety of sources. In one embodiment,entertainment system100 receives broadcast data from any or all of the following sources:cable broadcast141, satellite broadcast142 (e.g., via a satellite dish), very high frequency (VHF) or ultra high frequency (UHF) radio frequency communication of the broadcast networks143 (e.g., via an aerial antenna), telephone/computer network interface144, and/or information stored locally atsystem controller140 or another component of theentertainment system100. Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, thatcable broadcast input141,satellite broadcast input142 and VHF/UHF input143 may receive input from digital broadcast programming and digital cable programming. The broadcast data may be received by theentertainment system100 via the audio/video tuner andamplifier124, thesystem controller140, or other system components or combination of system components.

Although the present invention is described in the context of the exemplary embodiments presented in the figures, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be practiced in a variety of alternate embodiments. Accordingly, the innovative features of the present invention may be practiced in a system of greater or lesser complexity than that of the system depicted in FIG.1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of acomputer system200 that may be used to implement thesystem controller140 according to the present invention. Thecomputer system200 includes aprocessor201 that processes data signals. Theprocessor201 may be a complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction work (VLIW) microprocessor, a processor implementing a combination of instruction sets, or other processor device. FIG. 2 shows an example of the present invention implemented on a singleprocessor computer system200. However, it is understood that the present invention may be implemented in a computer system having multiple processors. Theprocessor201 is coupled to aCPU bus210 which transmits data signals betweenprocessor201 and other components in thecomputer system200.

As an example,memory213 may be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, a static random access memory (SRAM) device, or other memory device. Thememory213 stores data signals that may be executed by theprocessor201.

Abridge memory controller211 is coupled to theCPU bus210 and thememory213. Thebridge memory controller211 directs data signals between theprocessor201, thememory213, and other components in thecomputer system200 and bridges the data signals from these components to a first I/O bus220.

The first I/O bus220 may be a single bus or a combination of multiple buses. As an example, the first I/O bus220 may be a high performance I/O bus that operates at high throughput rates. The first I/O bus220 may include for example a Peripheral Components Interconnect (PCI) bus, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) bus, a NuBus, or other buses. The first I/O bus220 provides communication links between components in thecomputer system200. Anetwork controller221 links thecomputer system200 to a network of computers and supports communication among the machines. Adisplay device controller222 is coupled to the first I/O bus220. Thedisplay device controller222 allows coupling of a display device to thecomputer system200 and acts as an interface between the display device and thecomputer system200. The display device controller may be a monochrome display adapter (MDA) card, a color graphics adapter (CGA) card, an enhanced graphics adapter (EGA) card, an extended graphics array (XGA) card or other display device controller. The display device may be a television set, a computer monitor, a flat panel display or other display device. The display device receives data signals from theprocessor201 through thedisplay device controller222 and displays the information and data signals to the user of thecomputer system200.

A second I/O bus230 may be a single bus or a combination of multiple buses. The second I/O bus230 may include an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or other buses. The second I/O bus230 provides communication links between components in thecomputer system200. Akeyboard interface232 may be a keyboard controller or other keyboard interface. Thekeyboard interface232 may be a dedicated device or can reside in another device such as a bus controller or other controller. Thekeyboard interface232 allows coupling of a keyboard to thecomputer system200 and transmits data signals from a keyboard to thecomputer system200. Adata storage device231 may be a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM device, a flash memory device or other mass storage device. Anaudio controller233 operates to coordinate the recording and playing of sounds is also coupled to the I/O bus230. Awireless communications interface234 may be an IR transceiver or a RF transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals between system components of the entertainment system100 (shown in FIG.1).

Abus bridge223 couples the first I/O bus220 to the second I/O bus230. Thebus bridge223 operates to buffer and bridge data signals between the first I/O bus220 and the second I/O bus230.

According to one embodiment, managing the recording of broadcast data is performed by thecomputer system200 in response to theprocessor201 executing sequences of instructions contained in thememory213. Such instructions may be read into thememory213 from other computer-readable media such asdata storage device231 or from a computer connected to the network via thenetwork controller211. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in thememory213 causes the processor to manage the recording of broadcast data, as will be described hereafter. In alternative embodiments, hard-wire circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of modules of a broadcastdata recording manager300, according to the present invention. The modules may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both hardware and software.Block310 represents a transaction processor that receives a request to record broadcast data without commercials. The transaction processor includes alog311 that records programming information about the broadcast data that is to be recorded. The transaction processor also includes anexternal interface312 that forwards the programming information recorded in thelog311 to an external computer system. According to an embodiment of the present invention, theexternal interface311 may forward the programming information through a network via the network controller221 (shown in FIG.2). Thelog311 and theexternal interface312 may be implemented by any known circuitry or technique.

Block320 represents a broadcast data receiver. Thebroadcast data receiver320 operates to receive broadcast data from a plurality of sources including analog and digital broadcast data such as cable broadcast input, satellite broadcast input, and VHF/UHF input. Thebroadcast data receiver320 may comprise a video card with a tuner and amplifier, a connection to cable or satellite broadcast sources, or other circuitry. According to an embodiment of the present invention, thebroadcast data receiver320 operates to digitize broadcast data received in analog format before displaying the broadcast data on a display device.

Block330 represents a broadcast data analyzer. Thebroadcast data analyzer330 is coupled to thetransaction processor310 and thebroadcast data receiver320. Thebroadcast data analyzer330 receives requests from thetransaction processor310 to record programming data received from thebroadcast data receiver320. Thebroadcast data analyzer330 monitors the broadcast data for commercial indicators and program indicators. Commercial indicators indicate that a commercial is broadcasted or will be broadcasted on the broadcast data. A commercial indicator may be, for example, a message in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of analog broadcast data stating that a commercial will be broadcasted on the broadcast data, a fade to black, or an increase in the volume signal. Program indicators indicate that a program is broadcasted or will be broadcasted on the broadcast data. A program indicator may be, for example, a message in the VBI of analog broadcast data stating that a program will be broadcasted on the broadcast data, a fade to black after a commercial, or a decrease in the volume signal. From the commercial indicators and program indicators, thebroadcast data analyzer330 makes a determination as to which broadcast data is a commercial and which broadcast data is program data.

Block340 represents arecorder interface340. According to an embodiment of the present invention, therecorder interface340 communicates with the wireless communication interface234 (shown in FIG. 2) instructing the wireless communication interface to transmit commands to the video recording and playback device122 (shown in FIG.1). Therecorder interface340 is coupled to thebroadcast data analyzer330 and is informed by thebroadcast data analyzer330 as to which broadcast data is a commercial and which broadcast data is program data. Therecorder interface340 instructs thewireless communication interface234 to transmit the appropriate commands to the video recording andplayback device122 such that the video recording andplayback device122 may make a recording of broadcast data without commercials. It should be appreciated that therecorder interface340 may program the video recording andplayback device122 using any known technique to make a recording of the broadcast data without commercials. Thetransaction processor310,broadcast data receiver320,broadcast data analyzer330, and therecorder interface340 may be implemented by any known circuitry or technique.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of modules of abroadcast data analyzer330 according to the present invention. The modules may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both hardware and software.Block440 represents a data manager.Block410 represents a VBI analyzer.Block420 represents a volume analyzer.Block430 represents a background analyzer. Thedata manager440 is coupled to theVBI analyzer410,volume analyzer420, andbackground analyzer430. Thedata manager440 receives the broadcast data from the broadcast data receiver320 (shown in FIG. 3) and forwards the broadcast data to theVBI analyzer410,volume analyzer420, andbackground analyzer430 to detect commercial and program indicators.

TheVBI analyzer410 operates to read the VBI of analog broadcast data. Messages in the VBI that announce that a commercial is to be broadcasted and that a program is to resume serve as commercial and program indicators to the VBI analyzer. When theVBI analyzer410 finds a message in the VBI that indicates that a commercial is to be broadcasted in the broadcast data, theVBI analyzer410 sends a VBI commercial detection signal to thedata manager440. When theVBI analyzer410 finds a message in the VBI that indicates that program data is to be broadcasted in the broadcast data, theVBI analyzer420 sends a VBI program detection signal to thedata manager440.

Thevolume analyzer420 operates to monitor the amplitude of the audio signal in analog and digital broadcast data. Increases and decreases in volume level in broadcast data serve as commercial and program indicators to thevolume analyzer420. When the volume level in the broadcast data increases beyond a reference level, thevolume analyzer420 sends a volume commercial detection signal to thedata manager440. When the volume level in the broadcast data returns to the reference level, thevolume analyzer420 sends a volume program detection signal to thedata manager440. According to an embodiment of the present invention, thevolume analyzer420 calculates an average volume level of previously broadcasted program data and defines the reference level with that value. When the volume level of the broadcast data exceeds the average level of previously broadcasted program data, thevolume analyzer420 informs thedata manager440 that a commercial is being broadcasted. Similarly, when the volume level of the broadcast data returns to the reference level after exceeding the reference level, thevolume analyzer420 informs thedata manager440 that program data is being broadcasted.

Thebackground analyzer430 operates to monitor the amplitude of the video signal in the analog and digital broadcast data. A drop in the video signal to a black level for a predetermined period of time serves as a commercial and program indicator to the background analyzer. When the video signal drops to a black level for a predetermined period of time during when a black background is broadcasted, thebackground analyzer430 sends a background commercial/program detection signal to thedata manager440.

Thedata manager440 receives the VBI commercial and program detection signals from theVBI analyzer410, volume commercial and program detection signals from thevolume analyzer420, and background commercial/program detection signals from thebackground analyzer430 and makes a determination from the signals as to whether a commercial is to be broadcasted in the broadcast data or whether program data is to be broadcasted in the broadcast data. According to an embodiment of the present invention, thedata manager440 relies only on the VBI commercial and program detection signals from theVBI analyzer410 to determine whether a commercial or program data is being broadcasted when VBI commercial and program detection signals are received from theVBI analyzer410. When VBI commercial and program detection signals are not received from theVBI analyzer410, thedata manager440 relies on the volume commercial and program detection signals from thevolume analyzer420 and the background commercial/program detection signal from thebackground analyzer420 to determine whether a commercial or program data is being broadcasted.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, thebroadcast data analyzer330 includes theVBI analyzer410, thevolume analyzer420, and thebackground analyzer430. However, it should be appreciated thatbroadcast data analyzer330 may be configured with any one or combination of theVBI analyzer410, thevolume analyzer420, and thebackground analyzer430. TheVBI analyzer410, thevolume analyzer420, and thebackground analyzer430 may be implemented using any known circuitry or technique.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when thedata manager440 relies on the volume commercial and program detection signals from thevolume analyzer420 and the background commercial/program detection signal from the background analyzer to determine whether a commercial or program data is being broadcasted, an amount of time is required for the broadcast data to be analyzed before the appropriate commands can be conveyed to the recording and playback device122 (shown in FIG. 1) to exit or enter the record mode. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a delay unit is coupled to the video recording andplayback device122 that provides a delay in time before broadcast data is sent to the video recording andplayback device122. The delay in time allows thebroadcast data analyzer330 to determine whether a commercial or program data is being broadcasted and convey the appropriate commands to the video recording andplayback device122 to produce a recording of the broadcast data without commercials. It should be appreciated that the delay unit may be configured on the video recording andplayback device122 or external to the video recording andplayback device122. The delay unit may be implemented by any known circuitry or technique.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, the video recording andplayback device122 is programmed to continue recording the broadcast data after the video signal has dropped to a black level until thedata manager440 is able to determine whether the broadcast data broadcasted after the video signal has dropped to the black level is a commercial or program data. If the broadcast data is determined to be program data, the video recording andplayback device122 is programmed to continue recording the broadcast data. If the broadcast data is determined to be a commercial, the video recording andplayback device122 is programmed to exit the record mode and return to the location in the recording medium where the video signal had dropped to the black level. The video recording andplayback device122 is programmed to return to record mode after the video signal has dropped to the black level a second time. The video recording andplayback device122 records the broadcast data until thedata manager440 is able to determine whether the broadcast data broadcasted after the video signal has dropped to the black level the second time is a commercial or program data. Similarly, if the broadcast data is determined to be program data, the video recording andplayback device122 is programmed to continue recording the broadcast data. If the broadcast data is determined to be a commercial, the video recording andplayback device122 is programmed to exit the record mode and return to the location in the recording medium where the video signal had dropped to the black level the second time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the broadcast data receiver320 (shown in FIG. 3) also operates to read digital broadcast data from digital broadcast data sources and selects a stream of digital broadcast data from the digital broadcast data source that a viewer wishes to view. For example, if the digital broadcast data source provides a plurality of streams of digital broadcast data including broadcast data with commercials, broadcast data without commercials, broadcast data with high definition, and broadcast data with low definition, thebroadcast data receiver320 operates as a switch to direct the stream of broadcast data that the viewer selects to a display device or television monitor. According to this embodiment, the selection made by the viewer may be recorded in thelog311 in thetransaction processor310 and forwarded to an external computer system viaexternal interface312.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a graphical user interface according to an embodiment of the present invention. Thegraphical user interface500 is generated by the transaction processor310 (shown in FIG. 3) and may be displayed to a user via the television/monitor121 (shown in FIG.1). Thegraphical user interface500 includes anentertainment category display510 that lists the categories of entertainment system data that may be displayed by thegraphical user interface500. The graphical user interface shown in FIG. 5 is configured to display broadcast data selections corresponding to the user's pre-set favorite television channels. Thegraphical user interface500 includes aselection listing area522 that displays the names of broadcast data selections that are broadcasted, a time heading520 that displays the times that broadcast selections are broadcast, and a source heading521 that displays the source of the broadcast data selections in a grid format. Thegraphical user interface500 also includesscroll bars511 and512 and a day of theweek selection bar513 that allows a user to browse other broadcast data selections.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, sections of theselection listing area522 corresponding to a broadcast data selection may be selected by a user. When selected, the transaction processor310 (shown in FIG. 3) generates a second graphical user interface shown in FIG.6. The graphical user interface600 includes a first user-selectable interface610 that allows a user to record the broadcast data selection at the time it is broadcasted in its entirety. The graphical user interface600 also includes a second user-selectable interface620 that allows a user to record the broadcast data selection at the time it is broadcasted without commercials. Upon selecting one of the first or second user-selectable interfaces, thetransaction processor310 records the request in a log311 (shown in FIG. 3) and forwards the request to the broadcast data analyzer330 (shown in FIG.3).

FIG. 7 illustrates a method for managing recording of broadcast data according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method illustrated in FIG. 7 is used when broadcasted data is recorded in real-time without a delay unit. Atstep701, the broadcast data is recorded on a recordable medium.

Atstep702, it is determined whether a commercial or a program is being broadcasted in the broadcast data. If a commercial is being broadcasted in the broadcast data, control proceeds to step703. If a program is being broadcasted in the broadcast data, control returns to step702. According to one embodiment of the present invention, determining whether the broadcast data is a commercial or a program is achieved by reading a vertical blanking interval of the broadcast data for a message indicating whether the broadcast data is a commercial or a program. According to a second embodiment of the present invention, determining whether the broadcast data is a commercial or a program comprises monitoring an amplitude of an audio signal of the broadcast data for an increase in volume level and monitoring an amplitude of a video signal of the broadcast data for a drop of the video signal to a black level.

Atstep703, the recording is stopped.

Atstep704, the recording is resumed at a location on the recordable medium where a previously recorded video signal in the broadcast data dropped to a black level after a next video signal in the broadcast data drops to the black level.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method for managing recording of broadcast data according to a second embodiment of the present invention. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method illustrated in FIG. 8 is used when broadcast data is recorded with a delay unit. Atstep801, a program is recorded from the broadcast data.

Atstep802, the broadcast data is monitored for a commercial indicator. If a commercial indicator is found, control proceeds to step803. If a commercial indicator is not found, control returns to step802. According to one embodiment of the present invention monitoring the broadcast data for the commercial indicator comprises reading a vertical blanking interval of the broadcast data for a message indicating that a commercial will be broadcasted. According to a second embodiment of the present invention, monitoring the broadcast data for the commercial indicator comprises monitoring an amplitude of an audio signal of the broadcast data for an increase in volume level and monitoring an amplitude of a video signal of the broadcast data for a drop of the video signal to a black level.

Atstep803, the recording is stopped.

Atstep804, the broadcast data is monitored for a program indicator. If a program indicator is found, control proceeds to step805. If a program indicator is not found, control returns to step804. According to one embodiment of the present invention monitoring the broadcast data for the program indicator comprises reading a vertical blanking interval of the broadcast data for a message indicating that a program will be broadcasted. According to a second embodiment of the present invention, monitoring the broadcast data for the program indicator comprises monitoring an amplitude of an audio signal of the broadcast data for a decrease in volume level and monitoring an amplitude of a video signal of the broadcast data for a drop of the video signal to a black level.

Atstep805, the recording is resumed.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with references to specific embodiments thereof. It will however be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

Claims (20)

What is claimed is:

1. A method for managing recording of broadcast data, comprising:

receiving, at an entertainment system, a request from a user to record a broadcast data program without commercials;

recording the request in a log of the entertainment system;

recording the broadcast data program without commercials on a recordable medium of the entertainment system in response to the request, the recording including determining whether a commercial or a program is being broadcasted in the broadcast data, and stopping the recording when a commercial is being broadcasted in the broadcast data and resuming the recording when a program is being broadcasted in the broadcast data; and

after recording the request in the log, transmitting the record of the request from the log to an external computer system.

2. The method of claim1, wherein recording the broadcast data program without commercials comprises reading a vertical blanking interval of the broadcast data for a message indicating whether the broadcast data is a commercial or a program.

3. The method of claim1, wherein recording the broadcast data program without commercials comprises monitoring an amplitude of an audio signal of the broadcast data for an increase in volume level.

4. The method of claim1, wherein recording the broadcast data program without commercials comprises monitoring an amplitude of a video signal of the broadcast data for a drop of the video signal to a black level.

5. The method of claim1, wherein recording the broadcast data program without commercials comprises stopping and resuming the recording by instructing a wireless communication interface to transmit commands to a video recording device using infra-red signals.

6. The method of claim1, wherein transmitting the record comprises transmitting the record through a network via a network controller.

7. The method of claim1, further comprising delaying the broadcast data that is provided to the video recording device sufficient to allow for the finding of an indicator and the transmitting of a command to the video recording device.

8. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform:

receiving at an entertainment system a request from a user to record a broadcast data program without commercials;

recording the request in a log of the entertainment system;

recording the broadcast data program without commercials on a recordable medium of the entertainment system in response to the request, the recording including determining whether a commercial or a program is being broadcasted in the broadcast data, and stopping the recording when a commercial is being broadcasted in the broadcast data and resuming the recording when a program is being broadcasted in the broadcast data; and

after recording the request in the log, transmitting the record of the request from the log to an external computer system.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim8, wherein recording the broadcast data program without commercials comprises reading a vertical blanking interval of the broadcast data for a message indicating whether the broadcast data is a commercial or a program.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim8, wherein recording the broadcast data program without commercials comprises monitoring an amplitude of an audio signal of the broadcast data for an increase in volume level.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim8, wherein recording the broadcast data program without commercials comprises monitoring an amplitude of a video signal of the broadcast data for a drop of the video signal to a black level.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim8, wherein transmitting the record comprises transmitting the record through a network via a network controller.

13. A broadcast data recording manager of an entertainment system, comprising:

a transaction processor that records a request received from a user of the entertainment system to produce a recording of a broadcast data program without commercials;

a log associated with the transaction processor that records the received recording request together with programming information about the broadcast data that is requested to be recorded;

a broadcast data analyzer, coupled to the transaction processor, that determines which part of the broadcast data includes the commercials by monitoring the broadcast data for commercial and program indicators;

a recorder interface, coupled to the broadcast data analyzer, that transmits commands to a video recording device to generate a recording of the broadcast data without commercials; and

an external interface, coupled to the log, that transmits the received recording request together with the programming information recorded in the log to an external computer system.

14. The program recording manager of claim13, wherein the broadcast data analyzer comprises a vertical blanking interval (VBI) analyzer that reads the VBI for a message indicating that a commercial is to be broadcasted.

15. The program recording manager of claim14 wherein the broadcast data analyzer monitors a vertical blanking interval (VBI) in the broadcast data for a commercial indicator and outputs a signal to the recorder interface that stops a recording when the commercial indicator is found.

16. The program recording manager of claim13, wherein the broadcast data analyzer comprises a volume analyzer that monitors an amplitude of an audio signal of the broadcast data for an increase in volume level.

17. The program recording manager of claim13, wherein the broadcast data analyzer comprises a background analyzer that monitors an amplitude of a video signal of the broadcast data for a drop of the video signal to a black level.

18. The program recording manager of claim13, further comprising a network controller for transmitting the programming information to the external computer system through a network.

19. The program recording manager of claim13, wherein the recorder interface further comprises a wireless communication interface to transmit commands to the video recording device using infra-red signals.

20. The program recording manager of claim13, further comprising a delay unit, coupled between the broadcast data and the video recording device for delaying the broadcast data sufficient to allow for the finding of an indicator and the transmitting of a command to the video recording device.

Images